All Countries and All Sectors

Despite a challenging few years, the Bahraini construction sector looks set to grow in 2012. Local construction and development companies have reoriented towards areas of the market with the most potential, including social housing and transport infrastructure projects. The government aims to increase public transport usage from 5% to 25% of total journeys per day, planning a wealth of public...

While the Kingdom’s established heavy industries continue to play an important role in the economy, the government is seeking to diversify industrial activity into areas such as high-tech manufacturing and the downstream aluminium segment. After aluminium, petrochemicals is the largest industry in Bahrain, with ammonia, methanol and urea all produced locally. While steps are being taken to...

As the first GCC country to discover hydrocarbons, Bahrain is now moving into a new period in its history where more complex techniques are required to extract its oil and natural gas deposits. Given that high oil prices have helped sustain the oil sector’s export earnings and contribution to the economy, the Kingdom has undertaken a renewed effort to increase its crude oil output. The country...

The Kingdom’s insurance industry has traditionally been strong, regularly posting double-digit year-on-year growth, mirroring the expansion of the wider financial sector. The global financial crisis and recent political unrest, however, have presented the industry with a number of challenges in recent years. For example, the unrest made the implementation of the planned new mandatory health law...

A history of clear regulation and prudent oversight has served the Islamic financial services sector well in the challenging years since the onset of the global economic downturn. It also accounts for the sense of optimism within the sector, despite the challenges that are facing the broader global finance industry. In 2011 the opening of the Bahrain Financial Exchange added new depth to the...

With new regulations, the continued implementation of development strategies and the historic opening of the nation’s second exchange holding the interest of market participants, Bahrain’s capital markets have been receiving significant attention from investors. However, a number of challenges have presented themselves. The European debt crisis, local and regional unrest, and the lingering...